Pavilion in a Quarry | Elliott Architects

Set in an abandoned stone quarry, this project afforded the opportunity to design both architecture and landscape in an unparalleled setting. Last excavated in the 1930’s, the site had grown derelict; a series of forsaken craters filled with loose mounds of stone, rubble, and the detritus from decades of neglect. As the site was cleared and stone stacked upon stone in towering piles, depressions in the ledge presented themselves, which we utilized to create a series of naturalized ponds.

Two large rock piles, placed during the original excavation, provided a natural separation for the introduction of lawn and a pavilion to the otherwise obstinate quarry. The pavilion perches lightly on the ground; two buildings connected by a carefully balanced roof plane providing shade and cover. In the distance is the first glance of a singular red sculpture, standing in resolute contrast to the stone backdrop against which it sits. The two heaps of stone have a phenomenological effect of indicating that something is beyond them, begging exploration; the same request the quarry made at the start.